Archive for the ‘Jazmine Sullivan’ Category
Jazmine Sullivan – Fearless Review
When I heard Missy had a new protégé, I wanted to know what it was all about. She is protégé number 3, first with Nicole Wray (where did she go?) and then Tweet (where did she go too?). Five Grammy nominations and I’ve seriously never heard of this girl, Jazmine Sullivan. Yeah, I need to get on the mainstream program. But it looks like in a year or two, I’ll be asking the same question… Where did she go? When I first looked up pics of Jazmine, I thought she’d be a lot more “Missy-like”. Needless to say, she’s nothing like her. Jazmine Sullivan is a combination of Keyshia Cole-Monica-Lauren Hill-Kelis. A cool combo, but it’s also already been done before…. therefore I am bored.
I don’t really understand why so much “credit” is given to R&B that sounds “Reggae-inspired”. Especially when it’s American, it just sounds bad, it’s like Foxy Brown with her so-called Trini accent, wteff? This is exactly what Jazmine Sullivan’s Need U Bad, the critically acclaimed single, sounds like. Then the rest of the album switches styles back and forth. It doesn’t sound eclectic, it sounds more like chopped up production. Let’s do a “reggae” sounding song. Let’s do a 60s Motown sounding song. All the while, there is no relationship between any of the songs… jumping from topic to topic, and style to style. This kind of production doesn’t sit well with me, it’s just a compilation. The album is called Fearless, I have no idea what she’s “fearless’ of really.
What really erks me about albums like these is the contradictory topics. Again, it just shows mediocrity at its best. The first track, Bust Your Windows reminds me of Brooke Valentine’s 2005 Girlfight (Where did she go?) and Kelis’ 1999 Caught Out There. It’s not so much the melody, but the subject matter of the angry-female who will slash your tires or kick the other woman’s a$$ — not so original anymore. Then, she begs for her man to come back on Need U Bad. THEN, near the end, she talks about being In Love With Another Man, in slow sad song. Are you kidding me??? Her man will and should Bust Her Bloody Windows. Don’t people at least attempt to have a theme anymore?
With all that being said, I think Jazmine is an excellent vocalist. Then again, most R&B artists are. For this fact alone, it makes it hard to stand out in R&B. The album Fearless has its share of catchy upbeat tunes and well sung slow tracks. There is a track that stands out: Fear. In this song, she lists out everything she’s afraid of and why. This song is original, well-produced and well-sung with samples Art of Noise’s “Beat Box” and Stevie Wonder’s “I Was Made to Love Her”.
Notable tracks: Bust Your Windows (samples from Salaam Remi’s “Bad Man Waltz”), Dream Big (samples from Daft Punk’s “Veridis Quo”) & Fear.
I wouldn’t recommend this album, it’s just nothing special. It’s beige. I don’t know why I’m insisting on torturing myself with the beige.
I’m going to listen to Keyshia Cole’s new CD next and report back next week. Will it be beige too???
Jazmine Sullivan – Bust Your Windows
